The Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State has graduated the total of 465 graduands in the 9th convocation ceremony of the university.
The Vice Chancellor of Redeemer’s University, Prof. Debo Adeyewa while briefing journalists on the ceremonies, said that graduating students who bagged First Class honours constituted 4.7 per cent of the total graduands.
Also, a total of 145 graduands graduated with second class upper division, which amounted to 31.2 per cent. He added that 203 graduands came out with second class lower division, which is 43.7 per cent, as others fell into third class and pass categories.
The best graduating student of the set is Bejide Ifeoluwa. She is one of the twenty two who bagged first class honours from the Ede based institution.
Hunger pushes several people over the edge. Some steal, others kill many destroy but Ifeoluwa’s hunger for success drove her along the long, dusty and narrow path to greatness.
“I, Bejide Ifeoluwa, the girl who sold plantain chips, who sold pepper and tomatoes, who sold fish, who swept the classrooms is now a graduate!”
With those words she received a resounding ovation from prominent Nigerians including former Minister of Defence, Theophilus Danjuma and the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church Worldwide, Pastor Enoch Adeboye.
Ifeoluwa graduated with a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 4.93. If you ever went through the rigours to get a first class you would understand the long hours, the pain and self deprivation she had to endure consistently for 4 years.
According to Ifeoluwa, her story started at the first convocation of the same institution which she attended as a JSS 2 student in company of Professor L.B. Kolawole who later challenged her saying, “it was a female like you who collected all those prizes, you too can do it.”
“In other to pay back a mother like this who has always been struggling for her children, I decided to not only be a first class student, but to be the best”, she said.
Speaking on the perceived limitation faced by most people from less privileged backgrounds, Ifeoluwa says God blesses those who dream and add hard work to it.
“I always said to myself, I am not the first person to come from a less privileged home. If Daddy G.O (Pastor E.A. Adeboye) could make it, why can’t I? If so many of the professors here who had poor backgrounds could make it, why should I not?”
